Torah Scrolls Stolen From Jaffa Synagogue Are Found in Hebron and Returned After Cooperation Between Israeli, Palestinian Police

The Torah scrolls that were stolen from a Jaffa synagogue on Thursday and returned on Sunday. Photo: Israel Police.

Five Torah scrolls that were stolen from a synagogue in central Israel this week and taken to the West Bank have been found and returned, following a cooperative effort of Israeli and Palestinian law-enforcement authorities.

The holy texts — taken from the Beit David synagogue in Jaffa early Thursday morning — were tracked down in Hebron and handed over to Israeli officials on Sunday “thanks to coordination between the Hebron District Coordination Liaison, Israel’s Police and the PA Police,” the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT) tweeted.

Earlier this week, five Torah scrolls were stolen from a synagogue in central #Israel and taken to #Hebron. Today, thanks to coordination between the Hebron District Coordination Liaison, Israel’s Police and the PA Police, the scrolls were returned pic.twitter.com/kRppXtRb0o

The Israel Police said the successful outcome was a result of its “positive relationship” with its Palestinian Authority counterpart force, which helps it deal with crimes carried out in Israel that originated in the West Bank, including cases of murder, drug offenses and property theft.